


Mint Condition

by YukiRiikus_Reading_Room



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Anniversary, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Love, M/M, Phil Coulson's Trading Card Collection, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 04:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room/pseuds/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you’d told Steve how different his life would be after he woke up from the ice, he would have laughed at you.  Uncomfortably.  And then ran away in the opposite direction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mint Condition

If you’d told Steve how different his life would be after he woke up from the ice, he would have laughed at you. 

Uncomfortably. 

And then ran away in the opposite direction.

But not now, not as he sat in the back of his favorite little bistro in Manhattan across the small two person table from an empty chair waiting for the love of his life to arrive.  He still couldn’t help but marvel at all the things the last year had brought him…

It was just after the battle with Loki, after Tony had dragged them all out for shawarma.  As he stumbled into his apartment, barely able to pull off his boots before falling face first on his bed, his cell phone rang. 

Part of him didn’t want to answer it.  The only two people had this number, one of them recently dead he remembered as his chest tightened.  That could only mean it was Director Fury.

It rang a third time, a warning to stop deliberating.

“Hello?  This is Captain Rogers speaking.”

“Steve? It’s me.”

“… Tell me where you are and I’ll be right there.”

He wasn’t sure how he managed to pull himself out of bed, or get those ridiculous boots back on for that matter.  He didn’t even care as he ran out of his apartment that he hadn’t locked the door, or that he was still dressed as Captain America.  All that mattered was that he got to the hospital as soon as possible.  For weeks afterwards, he didn’t know why his heart had leapt so much when he’d gotten that call, that he’d cared enough to run fifteen blocks to the hospital to see him because he didn’t have any money on him to call a cab. 

All that mattered in those moments was that Phil Coulson was alive, and that he’d chosen to call Steve first.

Maria Hill was the only one there when he showed up.  She took one look at his still dirty uniform and the way he was panting and smiled, briefly squeezing Phil’s hand and saying she’s been back later before leaving them alone.  One she’d shut the door behind her, Steve got nervous. 

Something about this felt like new territory.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”  Steve said, half incredulous even as he grinned out of his mind.  And just like that, the tension he though had been building was gone.  Striding acorss the room he took a seat in the chair by the bed, leaning forward with his forearms braced on his legs as he looked Phil over.  “You look pretty good for a guy who’s supposed to be dead.”

“It was pretty touch and go there for a while, or so I’ve been told.”  Phil grimaced, his fingers lazily tracing over the bandages over his chest.  Looking up sharply at the soldier he sighed, anguish in his voice.  “I didn’t know he was going to use me as a catalyst to get you all to work together, I swear.” 

“Hey, that doesn’t matter right now.  All that matters is that Earth is safe… and so are you.”  Steve said, both of them wearing equally shocked looks.  He wasn’t sure where that had come from, only that it had felt like the right thing to say and that it was true.  Clearing his throat he looked down at his hands.  “So…”

“Would you like to go to dinner sometime once I get released?”  Steve looked up in surprise, blushing.  Phil sat in his bed looking perfectly comfortable, a small smile on his face.  “I might have been shy before, but almost dying really does something for your courage.  It’s okay if you don’t want to, I just had to ask.  At least then I’d have tried.” 

“I uh…”  Steve started, finding it difficult to talk.  Taking a deep breath he ran a hand through his hair, trying to buy himself time to think.  But then he remembered how he’d run here, how important it had been for him to make sure Phil was really alive, and the confusion was gone.  “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Wait… really?  I just asked you on a date and you said yes?”  Phil asked, his eyes going wide when Steve nodded, his face bright pink.  Laying back against his pillowed Coulson covered his face with his hands, shaking his head in shock.  Steve jumped to his feet, worried he might be in pain, half wondering if he should go get a nurse.  “I must have died after all.  This feels way too much like Heaven to be real.”

“Hey, look at me.”  Gently Steve pulled Coulson’s hands away from his face, smiling down at him.  Even covered in concrete dust and sweat from the battle, Phil still through he was the most handsome man he’d ever seen as he looked down at him like that.  Leaning down Steve quickly pressed a chaste kiss to Coulson’s lips, both of them blushing as he pulled back.

They’d been together ever since then, exactly a year ago to the day.

“Sorry I’m late, Fury wouldn’t stop jabbering about the Fantastic Four encroaching on our funding.”  Phil sighed as he dropped into his seat placing a small gift bag under the table.  Steve grinned up at him, his whole face lighting up as Coulson took his hand.  “You look radiant.”

“And so do you.”  Steve grinned, chuckling to himself when Phil blushed.  He was really bad about taking compliments.  “I have something for you.”

“No, mine first, you promised.”  Phil grinned, pulling his bag out from under the table.  Steve gave him a quizzical look as he unwrapped it, his throat constricting as he looked down at what he’d been given.  “I know it’s not much, but I wanted you to have it.  When we found you in the ice, it got left behind initially and didn’t get placed with your personal effects.  One of the boys down in processing told me about it, and I pulled some strings to get it back to you.”

“My old pocket watch,” Steve said with wonder, smiling as he opened it.  His heart lurched when he saw the old black and white picture of Peggy still inside it.  “You have no idea what this means to me Phil… God, this was my father’s, and his father’s before that.  It had been in our family for years… Thank you.”

“Don’t cry, I didn’t want to upset you.”  Phil said gently, reaching up to wipe away the tears clinging to his eyelashes as he looked down at the watch.  With shaking fingers Steve pulled out the picture of Peggy, Phil watching as the soldier reached into his jacket pocket and placed it into the sacred family heirloom.  “What’s that?”

“You’ll laugh at me.”  Steve said nervously, his face going pink.  Phil raised an eyebrow, holding out a hand in a silent request to see the watch.  Unable to deny him anything, Steve placed it in his hands, watching the way his face lit up with recognition and warmth.  “It’s that picture we took on our first date, remember?”

“How could I forget?”  Phil grinned, handing the watch back.  “Happy Anniversary Steve.”

“I still have to give you my present.”  Steve grinned, reaching into his pants pocket. 

“Are these…”

“Yup.”

Phil looked down at the perfectly preserved mint condition Captain America trading cards resting in his hands, his throat welling up.  He’d been so upset when he woke up and was told Fury had ruined his for the sake of saving the world.  Even though he knew it had been for a good cause, it had never sat well with him.  But now, he had them again.

“Flip them over.”

“You signed all of them?”

“Of course I did.”  Steve grinned, reaching across the table to rest his hands on top of Phil’s.  The cards fell forgotten on the table as he gripped his boyfriend’s hands, a brilliant smile on his face.  “Happy Anniversary Phil.” 


End file.
